Call of Duty 4 Best Sniper Rifle Analysis and Review
Next in our series of Call of Duty 4 weapon reviews we have the Sniper rifle. Sniper rifles are unique and amazing weapons because of their long range and one shot, one kill ability. All of our hard numbers come are coming from our Call of Duty Weapons Stats Chart, the damage multipliers are particularly important here. Using the chart we see that all sniper rifles do 70 damage and have a damage multiplier of 1.0, 1.1 or 1.5. For snipers the golden rule is the one shot kill, anything less and you might as well be using an assault rifle. So what multipliers do we need to meet this golden rule? A 1.0 multiplier will never one shot kill an enemy unless he was previously afflicted damage. A 1.1 multiplier will one shot the enemy if you are using the Stopping Power Perk. Finally, a 1.5 multiplier will one shot the enemy without the use of Stopping Power but if Stopping Power it is equipped it will one shot an enemy equipped with Juggernaut. These numbers might be a tad confusing now, but they will be become more clear and useful as we review the weapons. Without further ado here our analysis and review of all the Sniper Rifles, scroll to the bottom of the page for the short version.
M21 - The hands down best sniper rifle for hardcore matches because players start with 30 health instead of 100 health. The M21 does 70 damage with relatively poor damage multipliers, but for hardcore it is still easily enough to guarantee one shot kills no matter what part of the target you hit. The higher damage values of the other weapons just aren’t needed. It also has an incredibly low recoil which means you can spam 4-5 shots in the target area with reasonable accuracy.
R700 - The high scope sway make the it very difficult to control and means it takes more time to hold your breath and set up a hot. For that reason and factors stated above it is worse than the M40A3 except in rare cases involving Juggernaut in Call of Duty.
Dragunov - The damage multipliers of the Dragunov means it is usually outclassed by the other sniper rifles, except when using non-Stopping Power Perks. This is because adding Stopping Power provides virtually no benefit to the Dragunov. With our without Stopping Power it can only one shot to the Head, Neck and Torso. This opens up options for Perk 2, like adding Overkill and the P90 to create a hybrid sniper/rush class. This versatility gives the Dragunov some small niche capabilities in Call of Duty 4.
M40A3 - The best bolt action sniper rifle when using the Stopping Power perk. With Stopping Power the M40A3 will one shot kill on all parts of the body except for the exterior limbs. The closest weapon to compare it to is the R700. The advantages of the M40A3 over the R700 are it’s higher bullet capacity and it’s much lower scope sway. The one thing the R700 has going for it is it’s higher damage multiplier for Stomach shots. This provides little practical advantage except for making it slightly easier to one shot enemies with Juggernaut.
Barrett .50 Cal - The best semi-automatic Sniper Rifle when using Stopping Power. Whether or not the Barrett is better than the M40A3 is a matter of opinion, but the weapons are very similar. The Barrett is slightly at one single shot kills to Juggernaut enemies while the M40A3 has advantages when it comes it recoil. Personally I prefer the Barrett because of it’s strength in close quarters. In a tight spot you can quickly spam a full magazine at close range and probably get a kill.
The bottom line: The M21 is best for hardcore matches, the M40A3 and Barrett for normal matches and the Dragunov has some niche hybrid class abilities.
I’m 3 presige and i have higher scores than alot of people in 10 presige and my kill streak is 44 it was with the m40 it’s bad ass I also dont die but once or twice in a match sometime’s I don’t die at all COD4 is alsome
Barrett All the Way ! … But i need to practice cuz i am kinda new to COD4
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r700 is kickass i think its the best u just need iron lungs and a bit of practise and then its awesome!
M40 is clearly the best sniper! if your a skilled sniper ur not going to need the semi-automatic gun in hardcore so that takes away your M21. And barret way to much recoil for Regular because in reg most people will be moving around with jug and if you shoot them once and fail at the torso or head shot your target is lost, because coming down from the recoil you notice your target has fled. R700 Very good as the publisher said for rushing classes because stopping power does not matter. so in hardcore its useless, and u can use the M40 as the same rushing class but with less scope sway. And the Dragunov is a good sniper not for regular because its low damage and its recoil for a semi-automatic is bad, unless ur bored and want to put an acog on it and run around doing no-scopes and shooting randomly. So overall the M40 is the best you get good damage in regular with stopping power and without if its a high shot and in hardcore you can use for Noscoping, steady and skilled shots, or rushing class because u wont need the stopping power in harcore.
But good information! Add me on xbox live my name on here is ma gamertag ill teach you some good sniping skills. =] GL sniping on COD4!!!!
I like the m40 simply because of barly any recoil and with stoping power its always one shot one kill
The m40 is the biggest noob weapon. The reason why it is so effective is because its for lvl 5 beginners. If you need the m40 to snipe with then do not snipe at all. I have no respect for ANYBODY using the m40 ACOG. The normal scope i have some tolerance fore but if you arent aiming for a 1 shot kill at long range, your not a sniper, the m40 is a ood no-scope because noobs will be causgt off guard with enemies, Certain guns like this should be blocked after lvl 30 because theres no need for it. (also the worst hit detection for the head so it forces you to 1 shot kill the body because noobs do not aim for the head)
nick, your a noob
What you missed in this review is that the R700 has better accuracy than the .50 Cal, but the exactly the same everywhere else except RPM. If you’re sniping, accuracy is the most important thing after damage. So IMO the R700 is the best.
barret is the best!! i sy sthe r1700 is the secnd best.
barret is the best!! i say sthe r1700 is the secnd best.
Nick, you clearly have no skill in sniping, M40A3 is the best Sniper bar none. I’m guessing your on of the people who runs and guns using the M21 and consider yourself a sniper
im sorta a noob at 32 but i wanna find the best sniper possible with 1shot kill any suggestions?
I prefer the r700 because of the accuracy and the high power! the m40 is awesome with the ACOG but not with the real scope.
My good sniper would be all of them. Im really good at sniping. But I like the Dragonov the best.
DOG.
I usually use the Dragunov coz ive got it gold n like to show off, but also coz it does beasty damage. A shot in chest or above will usually kill instantly and if you miss the chest, you can usually follow up with a quick 2nd shot because of reasonably low recoil.
If im on a big map or one great for snipin eg pipeline or overgrown ill use the .50 cal. little tip, DO NOT ACOG a sniper, its easier to scope, hold and fire than to scope n wait for the arrow to roll over your target. The only time ill use an M40 or R700 is when i find one on the floor and can get a snipe in at some point.
My sniper class: Dragunov (gold) or .50 cal (red tiger), silenced USP .45, claymore, UAV jammer and Iron Lungs. try it n see what you get.
message me on xbox live if u got any comments; gamertag is same as this name
To be honest I really Enjoy the M40A3 in regual gametypes and hardcore it’s just my kind of sniper. I can’t use the simi auto ones that well.
A40A3 all the way.
The .50 cal, hands down, is the best sniper rifle in COD 4 for NUMEROUS reasons.
1.) Accuracy: amongst all snipe rifles is the same. You stead your breath, aim, fire and all shots, regardless of the rifle, will go EXACTLY to the same place. Having an accuracy rating for snipe rifles is a farce.
2.) Stopping Power: NUMEROUS times I have hit somebody with a M40 with Stopping Power dead in their torso, center mass, WITHOUT Juggernaut and they only flinch and move away only for me to get a ‘+2′ for somebody finishing him off. I am so tired of teh M40 FAILING to kill people that don’t even have Juggernaut, on the first shot. It does happen from time-to-time with the .50 cal but not nearly as much. If you want to put someone down on the first shot, use the .50
3.) Recoil: Yes the .50 cal has more recoil than the M40 but the game models after realism. The .50 cal’s design is linear, like the M16 so the gun doesn’t necessarily jump up but BACK. In addition, the .50 cal has springs and pistons that help absorb the recoil whereas the traditional M40 has a synthetic stock and jumps UP after firing, but not that much. Many of my friends who use the M40 state that for follow-up shots, the M40 is better but why would you need a follow-up shot if the .50 puts them down on the first one. In times where there are multiple targets, I can take 3-4 people down in just a matter of 2 seconds. The .50 cal can fire off second, third and 4th shots with hi accuracy compared to what most noobs think.
4.) Mag size: The .50 cal can help you stay alive longer simply due to the fact that it holds more ammo per mag and requires less reloading. How many times has a sniper been killed when reloading or just as bad, LOSES an enemy he could have shot at beause he was relaoding.
5.) CQB: There WILL be times when someone gets a little too close for comfort when you are sniping. Good luck on taking an enemy down under pressure and at close range with a bolt action that only hold 5 rounds. By the time you fire one round from your M40, you already have about 15 rounds heading towards you. At least with the .50, you cna use it as some kind of semi-auto cannon firing off multiple shots to take down an enemy very close to you. I’ve done it numerous times and I KNOW I would have died if I had an M40.
Overall, the .50 cal is the best rifle because it is JUST as accurate as all the other snipe rifles but actually puts people down, even thoswe with Juggernaut MORE than any other snipe rifle. Youc an even use it to take down choppers! It has a large mag, good recoil control, high rate of fire. It is simply the best snipe rifle in COD 4 without question. Take it from a guy who has a 2.58 Kill/Death Ratio.
the M40 is the best sniper if u r a real sniper with it,no ACOG! the Barrett is the 2nd best simply because its good at picking off all the noob snipers who use ACOG’s.I personally think the r700 sucks cuz it has such a low ammo round size. the best 1 shot kill sniper though is the M40A3!
guys 50 cal kicks better ass then all of them but i truely would say r700 pretty good kickass gun i went 43 and 1 with 50 cal top that….. =}
if anyone one wants to play im MeGaPuLsE on ps3 network =} i kno dont have to say ps3 sucks i fucking know……. but u dont know the good side about it people that have ps3 suck except some peeps like me. =}